Celebrating Africa

This year Africa Day arrived with a renewed sense of pride and hope for me. I have been immersed in two electives - African Non-fiction Literature and Public Culture. African literature focused mainly on South African books post-1994 and in many ways it was a gift of history far removed from the history that I had been taught at school in the 1970s. While it was painful to plough through the accounts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I was enlightened by the behind-the-scenes revelations of the negotiation process and the run up to the first democratic elections. I was entertained and motivated by stories of growing up in Kenya and Katlehong –  stories which give life to communities, breaking down stereotypes and mass-labelling of people to fit into neat little boxes.  And I will look at Johannesburg with new eyes after reading Portrait with Keys, the tribute by Ivan Vladislavic.

It was Noni Jabavu’s books, published in the early 1960s, which were a special treasure though. They are a portrait of black life at a time when Verwoerd was introducing his draconian laws.  She provides an insight into the traditions, tribal customs and family life from a personal point of view. She straddled two opposing worlds – her roots in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and her life in England, where she had been sent as a child.  She shows how we can use writing to correct the perceptions of the past, to record the voices of the past and to help preserve the traditions which, in SA, the government attempted to wipe out. I was very fortunate to find both her books at Clarke's in Long Street. This bookshop, established in 1956, is worth a visit if you're looking for South African and African books.

The Public Culture course looked at curating positive images of Africa and South Africa, to challenge the colonial stereotypes which abound. We focused on visual images along the theme of play and were exposed to photographers, archives and exhibitions, both past and present. I had the opportunity to look at the notion of music as a tool of resistance, at how it played a role in uniting and strengthening the community and how it flourished and developed in spite of oppression. 

I was struck anew at how jazz can be seen as a metaphor for the melting pot which is South Africa. It has a truly South African identity shaped by many influences - music of the African people, the Malays who were brought here by the Dutch, the slaves who were part of orchestras on the farms; visiting minstrels from the US which set the scene for the still-popular coon carnival, the  rich choral traditions and so on. It seems ridiculous now that there were laws governing details like whether black and white musicians could play together on a stage or perform to a mixed audience.

 We have developed a rich culture of music, writing and art, and people with spirit and values. What is often overlooked is what African people are doing to help themselves, rather than sitting back and waiting for others to come and solve our problems. Yes, there are starving children and disease, much suffering and oppression in Africa, but this is not the only narrative.

Davos 2013

This morning when I woke up it took a few moments for me to remember what day it was. Since leaving 30 degree weather at home on Monday, I have landed in below-freezing temperatures and it has been go, go, go. In the last two days  I have met the president of Rwanda, listened to the PM of Italy talk about how his country has turned around, heard what three young global leaders think the future of business is, attended a session on de-risking Africa, which was televised for CNBC, and fallen in love with Henning Mankell. I have also had to put on and take off so many layers of clothing several times a day which at this altitude has left me breathless. 

After one too many persons telling me that I was stupid to not take the opportunity of attending the World Economic Forum with my husband, I decided to join him. Usually I don't travel with him on business trips as he gets into  a different zone and is not much fun...

This time, however, the programme is packed full of interesting presentations which I think that he would secretly like to attend, rather than the many meetings he is sitting in. Here there are 2500 business and political leaders, as well as artists, musicians and religious leaders...all putting their heads together to "improve the state of the world".

I'm not sure how much progress they are making but when I hear what the young leaders have to say, I am full of hope that maybe the next generation will get it right. Other than wondering whose bright idea it is to have a conference in sub-zero temperatures, I am in awe of the vision to create a think tank such as this, and the implication that we need an inter-disciplinary approach to create a better world. 

The Golden Rule

I am saddened and a little troubled by the recent suicide of someone we knew. While we were not close friends, our families have many connections through school, university and business. We also live in the same neighbourhood, a few roads from each other. I am disturbed by the fact that we could be connected to each other, live alongside each other and yet not be able to pick up the deep distress that would lead someone to take their own life.

There are always so many questions for the people left behind and always some guilt about whether we could have done something to help prevent the death. So many people attended the funeral service, which made me wonder why he could not find at least one of us to talk to. 

Technology has made us so available to each other all the time, and yet are we really connected to each other?  We actually don’t even need to talk to each other – we SMS, BBM, send emails from our phones and have information at our fingertips. We need to engage with each other with more than social media, to connect on a personal level. We all have a need to belong to a group, whether it is a family bond, or a group of people with a common purpose or a spiritual group like a church. We need to learn to live with one another, to care for each other and be cared for.

In her book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, Karen Armstrong asserts that compassion is a true test of spirituality. We are urged to have concern for everyone, “to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself”. Compassion is common to all faiths. All religions have their own version of The Golden Rule. 

“As we develop our compassionate mind, we should feel an increasing sense of responsibility for the suffering of others and form a resolve to do everything we can to free them from their pain”, she says.

I think tragic events occur to help put us on the right path. Let’s take time to connect, to take responsibility for each other, to care.

Read more about Karen Armstrong by clicking here Charter for Compassion
Contact The South African Depression and Anxiety Group for mental health information and resources.

Children's Heroes

Cecilia, Murhabazi and Monira in the Town Square, Mariefred

Cecilia Flores-Oebanda looks like someone who you would meet in the supermarket. She has an open face which is often lit up with a friendly smile. You would be surprised to hear of the life of struggle that she has lived.  She is from an extremely poor family in the Philippines, and as a young child, sold fish that her father caught in the river and along with her 10 siblings, searched the garbage dump for things for her family to sell to supplement their income.

At a young age she became active in the struggle for human rights under the dictatorship of Marcos - a struggle that included living in the mountains as a guerrilla, and spent four years in prison with her children. After the dictator was overthrown, Cecilia continued to fight for the rights of children, specifically to end child labour and trafficking.

Cecilia was just one of the very inspiring people I met at the WCPRC awards this year. Cecilia was honoured for her 20-year struggle with the World’s Children’s Honorary Award. In her acceptance speech she said that she was ‘energised and ready for the battlefield...to wage war against trafficking”.

I was fortunate to sit with her at dinner that evening and across the table she shared some of her fight for the rights of children. Her warmth and passion is evident in everything she says and does. At first glance she looks soft around the edges but underneath is a steely passion for what she does and in her determination to take the struggle around the world. She has received numerous other awards and will be participating in the UN discussion around children trafficking.

Cecilia urged us to take the children from “exploitation to empowerment” and to fight for the dignity of every child. She reminded us that we are entrusting the future of humanity to children. 

Murhabazi Namegabe from the Congo has saved thousands of children who were abducted and forced to become soldiers. He has been imprisoned and assaulted and lives with constant death threats. His organisation runs 35 homes and schools for children.  Murhabazi was chosen as the Children’s Rights Hero for 2011. Accompanying him was Faida, a girl who broke my heart. She is barely 15 years old and yet has lived a life of horrendous suffering. Captured at 11 years by one of the many armed groups operating in DR Congo, she was forced to become a sex slave as well as a soldier. Murhabazi went back to negotiate with the soldiers three times before they released her. She says simply that “he did what a father would do for me”.

Faida arrived the day before the ceremony because of problems with her visa and standing up to accept the award with Murhabazi must have been completely overwhelming. Here she was in a Scandinavian castle in the presence of Queen Silvia, and unable to understand a word that was being said. Her eyes had the haunted look of someone who has seen too much.

Monira Rahman is a strong, confident woman from Bangladesh. She runs a foundation for people, mainly girls, who are victims of acid attacks. The children of the world voted for her to receive the Honorary Award along with Cecilia.

Magnus Bergmar with jury members Ofek and Hamoudi

The children on the jury are all experts on child rights through their own experiences. I remember Ofek from Israel the first time I went to the awards. Then, as a 15 year old he stood up along with fellow-juror, Omar from Palestine and together they told us that they were tired of living under conflict conditions. Now he is retiring from the jury and in his short but profound speech he spoke as “the Jewish grandson of Holocaust survivors” of his hope that “the world would find more words for peace than war”. “I tell you that peace is possible,” he ended.

These are real heroes - people who inspire us to live better lives, who teach us the true meaning of being compassionate and honorable. Follow these links to read more about them:


Cecilia Flores-Oebanda
Monira Rahman
Murhabazi Namegabe

Saving the World

Every now and then I worry that it is so easy to live in a bit of a bubble.  I go about my daily grind and think that I am doing my bit to live responsibly and then I get a wake-up call that maybe the bubble is a little too small and not enough is being done.

I recycle plastic, glass and paper and take it to the Oasis Work centre for disabled adults down the road – I pat myself on the back every week because not only am I caring for the environment, I am also supporting the disabled. Every week we get an organic vegetable box from a township project – Harvest of Hope. So, again two birds with one stone – supporting the community project and going green. My kids have been collecting newspaper to take to school recycling projects since they first started school. So I have this illusion that the country is going greener.

This morning I was waiting in the car for my daughter (as moms do) when the dustbin collection was being done. One guy dropped a black bag and out tumbled cereal boxes, bottles and paper. Further down the road the local bergie was retrieving cans from a bin. I wondered if these people had not heard about recycling. This is a middle-class neighbourhood, with kids at schools in the area who are probably also promoting recycling.

I think we way underestimate the effects of global warming. We live as if there is no tomorrow. We have become a wasteful society, throwing away half of what we buy – either in terms of the packaging or going by sell-by dates and pitching into the bin reliant on computer dates rather than what should be our experience of the look and taste of food. Even the organic produce at the supermarket comes in plastic and Styrofoam which cannot be recycled.

When we were in Greenland a while ago, we experienced firsthand the effects of global warming on the glacier and saw how it affected the lives of the local people - changing their hunting, living and eating patterns. The irony is that the Inuit people live very close to nature, taking only what they need from the land or sea. Now life as they knew it no longer exists. While we are talking about climate change and global warming around the dinner table, it is actually happening in Greenland – they are the first to be feeling the effects and already having to adapt their lifestyles which is something we are all going to have to do.

The Illulisat glacier - a churning mass of icebergs.

Our young guide pointed out to us how the knowledge of the ancestors has become less valuable because of the change in climate patterns. The river that was once there is now dry, the glacier that covered the hills has disappeared, the reindeer that were always there when hunting season opened, no longer show up. Before it never rained in December and January, now it does.

While the world is being wracked by extreme weather – droughts and floods – it washes over us from the television screens in our living rooms and we once again think that “it can’t happen to us”. But it is happening to us now. And we can make a difference. Our children and future generations bear the greatest burden of the effects of climate change. We owe it to the children to leave behind an earth worth living on. 

World image courtesy of Google Maps 

Look at us now!

A little while ago I read an article in the newspaper about an archaeological finding in SA that has been hushed up since the 1930's. The finding is thought to be about a 1000 years old and includes gold artifacts and glass beads from India, proving that the early inhabitants of the area must have been established traders. The finding was suppressed because it was contrary to the Apartheid policy that Africans were uncivilised.

Sometimes out of the blue, I realise just how oppressed we were - how controlled every aspect of our lives was and how successful Apartheid policy was in controlling us. We don't realise the miracle that democracy is, that we have overcome the brain-washing of more than 40 years to be where we are today. Certainly, the Apartheid curriculum for the "Department of Coloured, Bantu or Indian Affairs" did not allow for any independent thought.

I was thinking about this after helping my daughter edit her History essay a few days ago. She was to discuss "the impact of internal and external factors on the economic challenges of post-colonial Africa" - quite an interesting discussion ensued about the social and political factors following the independence of African countries from European colonial powers. I am constantly amazed at the subject matter they cover at school these days. I am not sure how many of us realise how much more progressive the school curriculum has become.

A year or two ago she had to design a protest T-shirt for an art project - not so long ago being in possession of such an item of clothing would almost guarantee arrest! And it is not only during Art and History that they are being enlightened. They read literature by African writers, study Human Rights in Life Orientation (we are one of the few countries who do) and the eugenics of race in Biology. My son at junior school is similarly being encouraged to hear both sides of the story and to think for himself. He is certainly not learning the same version of the colonisation of the Cape or of the Zulu war, that we were forced to learn. He learns Xhosa as easily as he learns Afrikaans - no baggage attached.

Imagine the possibilities if we had all been given the opportunity to stretch our minds, to know and to understand. When I was in Sweden for the children's rights awards, Magnus Bergmar, the founder of the WCPRC, told me that he thought that "an ongoing humanisation of every new generation is necessary for any sustainable development." We need strategies for a better world, he went on to say. I know that we still have much work to do, but I think that we are moving in the right direction and that our children are going to be better humans who will make a better world.